Hear Me
by RikaAltraz
Summary: Erik agrees to do one job for his old company, and takes on the requests of two separate parties involved in the same case. One wants the girl brought back no matter what, by force if necessary. The other wants her smuggled in to see her dying father one last time and to properly receive her inheritance. When she turns out to be his perfect mate, will he finish either job?
1. Chapter 1

Hear Me

Chapter One

Erik groaned as he opened his eyes.

A week of sleeping in his car, no matter how luxurious it claimed to be, was enough to put a bad crick in his neck.

The headrest wasn't quite situated for a man of his height.

He supposed six foot three wasn't quite what they had in mind when they designed it.

He started to get out and felt like all his joints were rusted.

Almost every part of his bone structure popped as he stretched just outside his car.

Only two hundred more miles to the city his quarry hid in.

Part of him still argued with himself for taking this job.

Alright, it was his inner Dragon arguing with him.

It hadn't liked the idea of leaving the region he had grown up in.

Several thousand miles now he'd travelled at the request of a couple men.

Both wanted his service in completely opposite ways.

One wanted him to drag the girl kicking and screaming back to the small town where her father pretty much owned everything in sight and was a benevolent caretaker of his people with a very strong and much beloved heir.

The other wanted him to deliver her an envelope he had watched the old man seal himself after he and his heir had signed the documents inside.

Erik had the fortune, good or bad, of being a certified notary for anyone he was around.

He wasn't quite sure which side of the job to actually finish.

His Dragon blood hated the very idea of harming a woman and dragging her kicking and screaming certainly sounded like harming to him.

If she had run away to begin with, then obviously she wanted to stay away.

He could tell the old man had been sick, and his heir had asked Erik privately to see if he could convince the girl to come back in secret if she could.

To be there when her father died.

He groaned again as he put both hands on the roof of his car and pushed himself up to pop his back.

He slid into the seat again and started the engine.

The purr made him grin.

After this trip, his old baby still loved him. He only hoped she stayed happy.

He pulled back onto the highway again from the turnoff resting place and headed for the city in the distance.

As good as business was for him, being a Private Investigator with a bit of supernatural skills, he didn't want to have to replace this car. Though he knew he'd have to in a few years no matter what. Technology was getting so much better and she just couldn't keep up with the new cars on the road.

Not to mention the price of gas killed him.

xXx

Erik looked at the clock nearing one as he pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant his target worked at.

Her brother had said that the few letters they got said she was here, but that had been months ago, almost eight in fact.

He stepped out, rolling his shoulders and adjusting his dark maroon mid-thigh jacket. His hands reached up to settle the dark purple trimmed collar back again and he sighed as he faced the building.

It was obviously popular enough. Several cars and trucks sat in the parking lot around his, mostly cheaper end vehicles, but still more advanced than his.

His leather boots let him feel it as the gravel under his feet shifted as he walked.

The large building looked like a jumble of other buildings conglomerated into one through ghetto construction. Like a white trash trailer house with several additions.

Not that he thought it was bad, in fact he had a couple friends who lived in such accommodations even though they could afford better by far.

He stepped through the main doors and was startled.

Outside it looked like shit, but inside was actually pretty nice.

The floors were polished hardwood covering at least a thousand square feet of seating area, and a nice bar area set a few feet above it towards the back of the room with even darker wood on the floors and what looked like a gleaming mahogany bar counter shaped like a crescent.

To the left and in front of him all the way to the bar, where most of the seating was, there were at least a dozen of the four or five dozen tables filled up. Slow for lunch time, but he could have just missed the rush.

On his right, where there was an equally large area sunk down several steps, he could see pool tables, a dart area, and more seating. With even more seating above it on the large second floor just a bit above the bar height.

And that was just the restaurant and bar area. From the look outside, the building itself housed several of its workers or patrons.

Yes, Fairy Tail was an odd place for sure. But he kind of liked it honestly.

Spiff it up on the outside to match and no one would be able to tell the place had looked like crap before.

"Can I help you?" He heard a cheerful feminine voice call from the bar.

He started to head for the tall white-blond woman. Her skin was pale as well, causing her blue eyes to be shocking against it. But she was beautiful.

Just not his type.

"I'm just passing through town and looking for someone." He said as he leaned on the bar.

"Well, Fairy Tail is a good stop to make. Our Guild does a lot of jobs around the city, so we know quite a bit of it and a lot of people."

"Guild?" He frowned.

"Yes, mostly people who've been down for a bit and need work, we get contracts for everything from lawn mowing to major construction to book editing to animal care. You name it, we can usually get that job for you."

"Well, I'm not looking for a job, more just trying to get one done." He settled on a stool as the woman offered a mug of one of the on tap ales. He nodded and pulled his wallet out. "I'm looking for a woman named Kinana."

He took note of the fact that her hands shook as she pulled away from his glass.

"What for?"

"I've got a letter for her and a verbal message to pass along."

"Well...I don't know about the message, but I could get her the letter."

He shook his head. "Sorry, I was instructed to deliver it personally. Is she still working here?"

"Well..." The woman looked nervous. "Later tonight, in a couple hours."

"It's fine, I'll wait for her." He said.

She nodded and started to head towards the other end of the bar as a muscled blond sat down.

He hadn't even seen the man come in. Must have come from upstairs, Erik figured.

xXx

Kinana hurried down the stairs as she fixed the scarf around her waist on her long dress.

Mira had said the dark red pulled the natural red from her hair. In daylight it was blackish brown, but in the bar the red was a bit more visible.

She walked across the open area tucked inside the ring of buildings known as Fairy Tail.

Nearly every member of the Guild lived inside, and most the bar workers too.

Her flats tapped the ground as she made her way across the stone path.

As she pulled open the back door, she came up against a familiar brawny back.

The thick mane of black hair told her exactly which man she'd run into.

Gajeel stepped out of the way, holding the tray in his hands above her head.

"Sorry Kin, just heading back up."

"It's no problem. Wasn't expecting you there." She smiled at him.

His build and red eyes could scare anyone, and had her for months over the past year and a half.

But as rough and violent as he could be, he was a sweetheart inside.

He spoiled his small, delicate, pixie of a wife. She'd heard his wife had grown up here with her cousin when their family was killed, then several years ago the gang he'd been in had attacked the building and members of the Guild. He himself had hunted down little Levy when she ran away from the fighting at the time.

Kinana had heard from Gajeel's oldest friend and fellow defect gang member Juvia, that the brutish man had nearly raped Levy that night but something in him had just stopped when he had seen the faint scars from the fire that killed her family on her back and legs.

She watched Gajeel carry the tray through the courtyard towards the entry to the apartment building that she'd come from. He was so sweet these past few months, carrying food back to his pregnant wife while the resident doctor had ordered her to stay in bed as often as possible and not work while carrying twins.

Kinana hoped the birth went alright. Levy was so small she already had complications carrying the babies.

She shook her head as she headed into the bar through the back door.

She moved to the counter and found the flip-down section had already been lifted for her.

She smiled at Laxus as she slipped through and he set the counter back slowly.

"How long have you been here?"

"Couple hours. Mira cut me off already. Said I couldn't go to work drunk tonight."

"I should think not. Wouldn't you need full faculties to rewire that old building?"

He shrugged. "It's not a hard job. Bick and I are just wiring all the rooms and then testing them before the sheetrock crew comes in at nine in the morning tomorrow."

"Will you be able to finish it tonight?"

"Yeah, it's just a kitchen, living room, bath and half, and three bedrooms, with a small laundry room. Not much really. They've left the wall and ceiling open for us and the insulation crew are going to show up a couple hours in to come behind us and finish."

Kinana nodded. "Well, speaking of work, I'm going to clock in."

"Have fun. Can you get me some more soda when you get the chance?"

She nodded an answer as she headed for the kitchen where the office was a tiny box just to the right of the door.

As she was coming up to the kitchen doors, she watched Lucy come out with a tray of steaming food. Burgers and fries and wings.

The place didn't do much variety, craziest she'd ever seen the menu get was the taco salad added several months ago.

Normally it was different burgers, wings, chicken strips, and steak on the weekends, all served with fries.

The blond waitress was only one of four in the building and worked almost every night. Her boyfriend Natsu was one of the resident cooks, who made a killer perfect steak ninety-nine point nine percent of the time she'd been there. Jellal and Gajeel also worked the kitchen when they weren't specifically taking requests for jobs. Then Macao filled in for one of them.

She liked the older man, but he didn't have quite the flare for food the way Gajeel and Natsu did.

Jellal was also a good guy. Erza, the resident manager with Mira, had dragged him kicking and screaming back here when he'd found himself hitting an all time low point. The man had been accused of several murders, had a strangely terrifying yet fascinating tattoo covering the side of his face, clearly done in pen ink, and was addicted to some dangerous substances, on top of having severe depression.

Kinana had been here only a couple months when Erza had literally dragged him through the front doors, high on cocaine and losing blood from where he had tried to cut his wrist. She had helped the redheaded woman settle him in Porlyusica's medical bay and had been present to see the past year of his recovery and rehab.

He hadn't once stepped out of line or fallen back, simply because Erza had told him she couldn't bear losing him again. Finding him that time in the alley had been the first time she'd seen him since they were children and their old caretaker had given him the tattoo on his face.

Now he was clean, the real murderer had been caught and put away, and he was working a steady job even if it didn't pay much. He got free room, all the food he could eat, and a group of people to call family. And, as Kinana glanced at the year calendar on the wall of the office, a wedding in just a couple months.

She was glad to finally be able to have a safe place.

"Ah, before you sign in, there is someone here for you." Mira said from the doorway.

Kinana turned to the white haired woman. Far from old, she could, and used to, be a model.

Mira motioned to follow her and she stepped back out of the office and ducked as Lucy came back in with the other night bartender following this time to clock in herself.

She enjoyed having Cana helping at night. The outgoing woman helped her manage the entire bar counter and kept an eye on the game area.

Mira led her towards the end of the bar farthest from Laxus.

The man sitting at the counter didn't look drunk, or familiar.

xXx

Kinana stared down at the envelope in her hands.

He had motioned for her to follow him out into the courtyard area before handing the yellow thing to her.

"My name is Erik. I'm a Private Investigator hired by your father and brother to get that to you as well as a request that you maybe come back with me to see your father again before he goes."

She watched the tall man rub at the back of his neck for a second.

"I was also hired by your ex to bring you back, but then again, he did lie to me, said he was still married to you. Mirajane told me you had filed for divorce the moment Fairy Tail took you in over a year and a half ago."

She looked at the ground instead of at him. But she so did want to look at him.

She had seen plenty of men here, some pretty damn good looking. Laxus had a scar over his eye too, but somehow, Erik pulled it off better. He could obviously open his eye still, but she couldn't tell if the paler red-brown of his eye was an indication he was blind in that eye. His other eye looked quite sharp and attentive, at her, as well.

His red-brown hair was nice too, darker than his eyes.

He towered over her by almost a foot, but she didn't feel scared like she had with John.

She looked up at Erik.

"I...you saw my father? And my brother?"

"Yes, your father requested me personally from Oracion Inc."

She moved to sit on a bench and he followed.

Kinana tried to tear open the package and suddenly found a knife offered to glanced at him long enough to see the soft look on his face before taking the knife from his fingers and cutting open the seal.

He took it back as she opened the envelope to pull out the letter.

It was more than just a letter.

This was her fathers will.

Lucas was his heir, but he had left her an equal portion of his finances and the house, should she want it, was hers. Lucas would get the smaller gatehouse, which he'd always loved.

She looked at Erik.

"How was he when you last saw him?"

"Well, when I saw him, he was on bedrest, but when I called your brother several hours ago, he was still doing good. The cancer isn't hitting so hard right now, but your brother said he doesn't have more than a few months more."

"I...I want to see him. But..."

"You don't want to see your ex." Erik said with a knowing tone.

She nodded.

xXx

Erik couldn't believe the stories Mira had told him about Kinana once she had accepted that he wasn't going to take her by force.

When the girl had run away almost two years ago, her husband had tried following. Even caught up to her long enough to beat her.

She had only been saved by the fact that Laxus had found her getting beaten near his job site.

He felt admiration for the man who had picked up a piece of pipe and visually threatened and intimidated her ex into running.

Kinana had run to him instead of away and Laxus had brought her back here when he left that town when his week long project was done.

Ever since, the Fairy Tail family had pulled her to its bosom.

Mira had shown him the pictures the doctor had taken of the extensive bruises and he had felt rage.

His Dragon wanted blood.

No man should ever hurt a woman.

He watched as Kinana tucked away the letter.

"How long are you staying?" She asked him.

"Depends on whether you'll be coming back to see your father. I'll bring you back after you visit if you'd like, even though that isn't really included in what I was asked to do."

"I...I do want to...but..."

"It's alright, I would never let your ex hurt you under my care."

"You...would do that? Even though you don't know me?"

He nodded slowly.

Before seeing the fragile looking woman in person, he had considered bringing her back and making her brother arrange for her to come back to Fairy Tail.

None of those pictures had shown her completely, but now that he could see for himself how sexy she was, he would gladly drive several thousand miles to have her beside him the whole way.

For the first time in almost seven months, he actually felt himself harden at the sight and thought of being around a woman.

"I'll go pack I suppose." She said softly.

"I'll talk to Mira for you while you pack. It'll take about a week to get there."

Kinana nodded. "So I'll be gone at least two. Unless we fly."

"I...don't do much flying." He mumbled.

"Motion sickness?" She sounded as if she'd understand it, dealt with people who had it.

He shook his head. "No...more, I won't do it." He stood up. "We'll drive. It's not so bad."

He started to head back for the bar as she stood up and hurried towards a far door.

Her long dress fluttered on her beautifully.

Hell, what had he got himself into?

Getting attracted to a case was never good.

Ever.

xXx

Erik sighed as he finally put her bag in his car.

She had decided they should leave immediately, before she got scared.

Mira and everyone at the bar fretted over her like a child.

Laxus had hugged her and told her she shouldn't be scared, he had taught her how to protect herself.

He had even taken the headphones from around his neck and put them on her. 'For good luck,' he had said.

Erik climbed in as she was buckling up and pulled his own belt on as he turned on the car.

He was out onto the road, halfway to the highway when he saw her tense up beside him.

"Scared?" He asked gently. She nodded. "Want to go back?" She shook her head and reached for his right hand on the shifter. He turned his to hold her hand.

"It's just my first time out of the city in so long." She said shakily.

He could understand that.

The first time just after he'd turned eighteen Oracion had sent him out of the city they were based in, Gerald had said it was time to spread his wings.

He hadn't been back in years now. Not since he no longer needed their support in cases. Every once in a while Gerald called him with something big, but he wasn't on their books anymore.

It was half an hour before she seemed to settle, but she hadn't let go of his hand and now it was in her lap with both her own.

An hour in, he glanced over to see her asleep.

He edged his hand away and put it on the wheel to rest his left.


	2. Chapter 2

Hear Me

Chapter Two

Kinana knew she'd made a horrible mistake as Erik pulled into a small motel five hundred something miles from the city in some tiny town she couldn't even name.

He reached in the backseat and pulled out his backpack.

"We're staying here?" She asked.

He nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't expect you to sleep in my car. It's not as comfortable for much longer than a couple hours as you'll remember."

She remembered. She had taken a couple hour nap when they left the city.

Anything to calm her nerves. Now they were acting up again.

She watched him pull her duffel bag out and slung the collection of clothes and several books over his shoulder.

He grunted when it slammed into his back.

"Erik?" She hurried around the car at the look of pain on his face for a second.

"It's nothing. Corner of a book." He said.

She started to follow him as he headed for the office.

This motel, like a lot of the ones she'd stayed in when she had run from John, was open all the time.

She tried to take her bag as he shifted it, but he merely turned so she couldn't as he asked the man at the counter for a room.

The young man had him write in some information on a paper, then filed it away and handed over the key welded to a gaudy dangle.

It was horrendous in its bright color. Kinana figured that was a deterrent to thievery.

Erik pocketed it and said goodnight to the younger man.

She caught the leering look the man gave her as Erik turned away from him.

Her hands reached out as she moved closer to Erik.

She wrapped her fingers around his arm as he led her out the door.

He started for a door along the long line of them.

As he tried to reach in his pocket for the keys, she didn't let his arm go.

"Darling, I do need to move my arm."

She finally pulled away. "Sorry."

He started to unlock the door.

"I'm not bothered, but why did you grab me?" He asked.

"I...that man, he...was looking at me so...nasty." She said as he closed and locked the door behind them.

Erik turned to face her as he set their bags on the desk.

It was one of only three things in the room.

A bed, a desk, and a chair.

Very sparsely furnished. Even the apartment at Fairy Tail had been more furnished when she had moved into it.

"Define nasty?" Erik frowned.

"Just...like..." She couldn't find words to explain it. The look had made her skin crawl.

"This?"

She actually tensed as Erik mimicked the same look.

"Like you're stripping me in your mind." She looked at the floor as she wrapped her arms around her waist.

She flinched very slightly when he reached out to touch her.

"It's alright Kinana, I'll never let anyone hurt you."

She looked up at his face.

He looked honest. And he didn't have that nasty look in his eyes anymore.

"To be completely honest with you, yes, I do think you are sexy and there were several moments when driving today that I looked over at you sleeping and could just imagine things much more revealed than that dress shows." He admitted.

She stepped back from him, the back of her legs hitting the bed.

It caused her to fall back with her momentum in the quick action.

xXx

Erik looked at her.

He hadn't meant to scare her, but that is exactly what had happened.

How badly had her ex hurt her?

No, he knew the answer to that.

Her brother had given him enough information to work with and Mira just as much.

Before she had managed to run away, her ex husband had been physically abusing her for little more than fifteen months.

He had raped her repeatedly, beaten her so badly she wouldn't leave the house for weeks, and when she had gotten pregnant from one of his rapes, forced her to miscarry by beating her even worse than normal.

He knew from the pictures and the dress she wore that she carried no scars from it. Not on the outside.

Obviously they were all on the inside.

He moved closer, dropping to one knee to kneel in front of her.

He wrapped her smaller hands in his.

"It's alright baby, I'm never going to hurt you." She had looked at him with such fear. His inner Dragon rumbled at him to make things right before she ran.

It could never stand to watch her run from it.

He realized he was acting like his father had acted with his mother. A Mate relationship.

His parents had died shortly after he turned fourteen and he'd been left with Gerald, but his father had taught him that his Dragon would identify his Mate at first meet.

It would act certain ways: the rumbling, the sense of protection without any obvious reasons, the feeling of comfort in her presence.

"Baby?" Her voice was soft, but he saw her confusion mix into the unease.

"Look, there is something I need to talk to you about."

"You called me baby. Like I mean something to you."

He nodded. "There is a reason I'm such a good tracker for missing person cases. I'm not like most men."

She visibly relaxed as he spoke.

"You're one of them." She said quietly.

"Them?"

"Gajeel and Laxus and Natsu." She said.

"They are different too?" He asked.

"I wasn't supposed to know, but I found out about Gajeel when Levy found him passed out on their living room floor. He had been poisoned. It had been such a menial thing to me at the time, I hadn't even thought about it. I had burned incense for months."

She seemed like telling the story would relax her, so he settled in cross-legged on the floor, still holding her hands. "I found a new brand that was cheaper, and he dropped after an hour. Levy had caught the scent when she came to me. She had been so angry at me, claiming I was poisoning her husband. I hadn't known."

She looked at her lap sadly. "I put it out and threw it away and helped her get him up again. That's when I found out about him being...not like normal men."

"Gajeel Redfox is a Dragon?" Erik asked. Kinana nodded.

"A very old one. He's the Metal Dragon Levy kept telling me. And I almost killed him by burning dragon's bane incense. It had smelled sweet to me, deadly to him."

Erik sighed. "So you know about the relationship he has with Levy Redfox?"

"Being his Mate or whatever?" She frowned. "Yeah. Lucy is to Natsu and Mira is with Laxus. They let me know. Mira said something about me being like them, but I thought it just meant I was a runaway like them." She looked at him with big scared eyes. "But that's not right, is it?"

"I'm sorry baby, it isn't. You are my Mate. I didn't notice at first and I'm sorry. But I swear I'll keep you safe and happy forever."

She tried to pull away from him.

xXx

She just wasn't ready for this.

Not after John.

Granted Erik hadn't hurt her yet, and didn't seem likely to, but John hadn't either to begin with.

Erik let go of her hands.

"It'll be alright Kinana. I'll never do more than you want. We can go however you want. Hell, if you want to ditch me and live off with someone else, I'll do it." But he wouldn't like it. The way he fisted his hands on the bed beside her told her that. "So long as you are happy."

"I...need slow."

"Very." He nodded. "For you, I'll go slow and gentle." He stood up. "Now, get some sleep. You need it."

She watched him head for the chair and turned it to face the bed.

He pulled his jacket off and she watched him start to settle in the chair and sleep.

She collected up her bag and pulled out her nightshirt.

As she changed in the bathroom, she fiddled with the hem.

It was short, maybe too short. But this would definitely be the tell on his behavior. Most men couldn't resist a woman in a short outfit. She walked out.

His eyes were closed and his boots kicked off with his legs stretched out on the bottom of the bed.

She crawled under the covers and shut the lamp off.

As she had changed, he'd switched the lights.

She stared at the faint silhouette of him against the window behind him.

"Goodnight." She whispered very quietly.

"Night." He mumbled.

She buried her head in the pillow. How had he heard her speak so softly?

xXx

Erik groaned as he filled the tank of his car at the station.

Two nights now he'd been forced to see her in that skimpy shirt she slept in.

Obviously she trusted him to not break his word, but damn. Did she have to push it so far?

As he pulled into the parking lot of another hotel, this one not a cheap motel like the first place, he reached to nudge her shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"Here." He said.

She nodded.

She collected her bag from the back as he grabbed his and followed him inside.

He held the door for her and sighed.

She had gotten used his chivalry it seemed.

The first few times, she had almost felt uneasy with him getting the door, even the car door most times.

It was just how he was though.

This was his mate, a priceless gem to treasure. And everyone knew how Dragons were with their gems.

She was lucky he had the restraint he had inherited from his father. His mother had been all kinds of impulsive.

He checked them into a single room and collected the card to lead her up.

As she started to pull out her shirt to sleep in, he finally snapped.

He yanked one of his old but clean shirts from his bag.

"If you're going to sleep in a damn mens shirt, it can at least be mine." He shoved it at her.

She took it as he let go.

He turned to leave the room.

"I'm going to go get something from the vending machine. Want anything?"

He glanced back enough to see her shake her head.

He pulled the door back open and headed down the hall.

xXx

She held the material in her fingers.

Ever since telling her that first night that he wasn't normal, she had been only treated with care and respect.

Like Laxus showed Mira, and just a bit less than the obvious adoration Gajeel showed his wife.

Erik hadn't hurt her in any way. Until now, he hadn't even done anything showing he saw her as more than a client he was traveling with.

Obviously that was wrong. The shirt she normally wore was indeed a mens shirt, but not the buttoned kind Erik wore.

As she fingered the small pale silvery blue buttons, she realized they were metal.

He had given her a casual silk shirt with decorative metal buttons. Did he even know the value of his shirt?

The quality of this silk and the genuine silver were worth more than her entire bag of clothes.

She raised it to her nose. It smelled like him.

That slight bit of musk mixed with the smokey cologne he wore. It was nice.

Kinana headed for the bathroom to change into the silk.

It was the closest she'd ever been to it since she had married John.

Her ex had told her she wasn't worth the fancy things she'd once been used to.

As she did up the buttons, she actually felt a bit like she had before meeting her ex.

Just the feel of Erik's shirt made her feel wanted.

She collected her clothes and put them in the plastic bag inside her duffle bag. Erik had given it to her for her dirty clothes the first day.

She looked at the single bed in the room and sighed.

The door creaked open and she jolted as she turned.

"I got you one of those bags of pretzels if you want. Or there's anything else I guess." She stared as he carried in half a dozen snack bags in one hand and a couple bottles of water in the other. "I notice you like pretzels and crackers and stuff, so I figured if you got hungry you could-" his voice stopped as he looked at her.

"I...thank you." She held her arms around her waist.

xXx

Erik could barely think as he stared at her. Seeing her in his shirt just made the possessive feelings stronger.

She was far too damn sexy. Her long hair was just mussed enough from pulling it out of the braid she'd put it in that morning that it tumbled just past her shoulders in waves.

He had seen the first picture of her after she had run away when her hair had been brutally butchered and had to admit, he preferred the longer look. Part of him also wanted to see her with her hair down to her rear. That image had been in his mind since he'd been old enough to know what his erections were.

Maybe he was just a long hair guy. And silky skin and big eyes and soft lips and just about everything to do with Kinana.

"Erik?" He jolted his mind at her voice.

"Hmm?"

"You're doing that weird look."

"Which one?"

"The one where you strip me by sight."

He sighed and turned back to organize his offerings to her as he laid them out neatly on the desk in front of her duffle bag.

He felt her hands on his arm as she came closer.

"I...don't mind it so much...when you do it."

He turned to look down at her as she tugged on his arm.

Erik felt his mind go blank again as she tugged him down enough to kiss his open mouth.

He immediately and instinctively returned it, turning to pull her close and into his arms.

As he took her feet off the ground, her arms went around his neck, her tiny hands tangling in his hair and tucking under the collar of his shirt each.

He forced himself to lean her over the bed and pry her away.

"Look baby, you are my mate, but I don't want you to feel pressured into being with me." He said as her hands slid to the front of his torso.

"I'm not. I know I said slow, but you've proven you're like Gajeel and Laxus." She smiled at him.

He gave her a faint smile in return. "Last I'd heard, neither of them were good guys to begin with. I like to think I am."

"My point is that you're perfect Erik." She frowned.

"Really? I hog the bed." He teased. "I wont let you drive my car. I sometimes forget to feed you for a couple hours."

"I'm a big girl, I can feed myself. And I don't like driving, so that's fine by me, I get a chauffeur. And you've never slept in a bed with me, maybe I'll out-hog you."

He sighed as he still pushed away from her. "You're really sure you want to try being with me?"

She nodded.

He stood up. "Well, first, let me feed you, to make sure you're not going to starve before morning."

She smiled as she sat up.

She scooted over on the bed as he brought his collection of snacks to the king sized bed they were obviously going to be sharing tonight. He had planned on crashing in the chair again, even though that hurt.

xXx

Kinana stared out the window as he came back around the car.

Tonight they'd be at her fathers house.

The past four nights had been pretty nice.

He was different from John by a mile.

Erik had shown her nothing but gentleness and care. And quite a bit of passion.

She smiled faintly as she saw the red mark on his shoulder, just peeking from under his shirt.

Her nails had done that last night.

No more sleeping in chairs for him.

Obviously she didn't hog the bed, nor did he. In fact, waking up with him curled around her was something special. As was waking up yesterday pressed to his side with her hand over his heart and her leg looped over his, like he was a big stuffed bear to hug.

As he opened his door to get in, tucking the gas receipt in a clip with the rest, she suddenly found her thoughts not so pleasant.

"Baby?" He asked as he turned the engine.

"Erik..." He glanced at her as he pulled back towards the road. "I...I'm scared."

He reached to take her hand and kissed her palm. "I'll keep you safe from anyone."

"What about...safe from you?"

He frowned. "I would never hurt you intentionally."

"I know, but," She sighed as she used both hands to hold his and rub her fingers over his. "What about when your case is done? I'm still just a client, you'll have to go on to other cases."

"Kinana, you're my mate. I'll never leave you behind. I was thinking on that actually last night, before you distracted me with that beautiful body." She blushed, but kept holding his hand even as he twined the fingers of her left with his right. An intimate hold. "I don't have to base from this region. I just know it well. This was home. I can find plenty of cases in Fiore. I'm sure Fairy Tail will be willing to put up with my crazy ass for a while. Until I can find a nice house nearby us."

"You want a long term relationship?" She looked at him.

He grinned. "I want forever love. Dragons and their mates are immortal for the most part, and I want you for it all."

"But...you said your parents were dead." She looked down. "Sorry."

"It's not like we can't die. A wreck would kill us the same, it'd just be harder."

She nodded.

She turned slightly to curl up on the seat, still holding his hand.

Forever huh? She could live with that. So long as he never hit her.

But this hand just didn't feel violent.

Strong, definitely pleasurable, but not the least violent.


	3. Chapter 3

Hear Me

Chapter Three

Erik put his fist in the face of the man who had grabbed Kinana roughly.

Her brother watched smugly from inside the gates.

John let go of her arm as he tumbled backward.

"We had a deal."

"No, I took her fathers case. You lied to me." Erik said sharply to the cowering man.

He reached out to gently snag her other arm and edge her towards the gates.

Lucas edged it open to urge her inside.

"Now get the hell out of my sight before I decide to kill you."

He stomped towards his mate.

He didn't even stop until he had her close again and the gates were closed.

"Well now, that was unexpected." Lucas said. "I didn't think having you park outside the gate would be a problem. I'll have security keep an eye out every time they do their rounds."

"I'm not too worried. Poor thing is on its last piece of rubber. I've had it since I was sixteen."

"Remarkable, and it still runs alright?" Lucas sounded surprised as they walked up the driveway.

Kinana clung to his side but Erik couldn't mind. Feeling her touch him was soothing.

Seeing her grabbed a moment after parking in the visiting slots just outside the brick wall by the gate had scared him.

John had been waiting for them. He knew how long it took to get back. He must have been there since morning.

"Most days. You really didn't know he was there?"

Lucas sighed. "I knew he was there, I just didn't expect him to try to grab her here. Maybe in town or something, but not at the gates. He's a filthy little weasel. Only ever married Kinana for our fathers money, then took it out on her when he realized she had none."

Erik scowled. "You let him beat her?"

He saw her brother clench his fists. "I never let him do anything. I called the police on him several times. They said there was nothing that could be done unless she went in herself. And he never gave her a chance."

"It's true." Kinana whispered as they came in sight of the house.

"In fact, she only got away because I went over to see her. I just happened to leave my keys on the table and threatened him to walk out back with me. He couldn't touch me, but he couldn't stop me from taking her either aside from pulling the marriage card afterward." Erik watched him frown at his sister. "She was supposed to steal my car and go to the police. Not the next country."

Kinana looked away.

Erik saw Lucas sigh. "Not that I care honestly, I got my sister out of that abuse and knew she was safe, and after a couple weeks, I got the car back too."

"So you didn't keep her confined?" Erik asked.

"Of course not. I love Kinana, even if she is only my half sister. My mother died when I was born remember, and our father needed someone to raise me. So he called up his old school crush and asked for one last date before she was supposed to be going off to marry some broke low-grade lawyer. She agreed, they fell back in love, and the rest gave me the best mother I've ever known and a sister I'd have gone to prison for if I'd had a younger brother to take my place as heir."

Lucas moved to open the doors and Erik followed him in.

"Would you like to see father first or get cleaned up for dinner and see him then?"

Erik looked at her for the answer. He was only here because he'd agreed to drive her back and more than likely move there himself.

"Dinner...I need to get cleaned up."

Lucas nodded. "I'll get some clean clothes sent up for Erik as well. They'll be there before you two get done with your shower."

"You...don't mind?" Erik asked.

"That you love her? No. I researched before I called you in. I know the kind of man you are. I'd be glad to consider you family soon. You're infinitely better than the last."

Erik laughed as Kinana blushed.

She started to pull him towards the stairs.

xXx

Erik finished buttoning up the gold dress shirt Lucas had gotten sent up for him before tucking it into the waist of his black pants.

At least they didn't expect him to wear a tie.

He turned as he caught sight of Kinana in the mirror he'd used to make sure his hair was properly combed back.

She looked pretty stunning in that pale gold and crimson gown.

She moved towards the mirror as he watched her toss her wavy hair over her shoulders. He liked the faintest hint of red to her hair.

She put some beautiful earrings in that had genuine rubies dangling in filament nets of gold, kind of like the stitching pattern on her gown, which he suspected was also done with real jewels.

She held up a set of stud earrings. "Here. I found them in my box."

He took them before absently removing his own plain steel ones.

As he moved to put on the gold studs with a tiny ruby set in each, she picked up the cufflinks he'd left on the desk.

"You'll have to wear these." She held up the gold and ruby decorated things.

"Really? I already feel like a fraud. Hell, these earrings alone are enough to pay the rent on my apartment for six months let alone this outfit. I could almost buy a new car with what you expect me to wear down to dinner."

"You could buy a new car Erik, but I like yours."

He sighed as he held out his wrists.

"Go ahead and put me in cuffs then, because I'm pretty sure I'm committing a crime by being with someone so good." She laughed as she stood in front of him. He leaned down to kiss her. "Honestly, I've no idea how to put those things on. I'm lucky I know what they are."

She smiled as she put one in his right hand to put the left on for him.

"This doesn't look like I've seen them before." He frowned as he watched her put it through the two holes like a button, one side overlapping the other.

"I know." She said. "Father always used to say that putting the two sides of the sleeve together looked stupid. I've found I agree. After all, why have one side plain and the other decorative if both are always visible?"

Erik nodded as she did up the other for him.

He reached for the jacket to go over the silk shirt he'd have never been able to afford on his own pay.

Her father had given him the clothes and accessories as a thank you for bringing back his daughter for one last visit.

Erik watched Kinana put on the gold and ruby necklace that matched her earrings and dress.

He had a gut feeling their wardrobe was meant to match.

"Lets go." She said.

It was the happiest she'd been in a while if Mira's stories were true. She smiled, but it never touched her eyes like this. Bringing her to see her family was a good thing.

xXx

Erik shook her fathers hand as the man met them in the large dining room.

"Thank you for bringing her home. I know she'll want to leave again, but this time she won't have to leave her things again."

Erik nodded. "I'll be taking her back to Fairy Tail myself, as well as joining her there."

"I'm glad my old friend was right about you child." The old man said as he moved to sit.

Erik frowned as he pulled Kinana's chair out for her. He might not have been raised rich, but he had manners from his father, who'd been rich before giving it up for his mother.

"Friend?"

"Your father. He was such a good boyhood friend of mine. His father hated that woman he married, but he loved your mother too much to not. She just wasn't the mistress type. I remember the scandal when they ran away to that town over the mountain. I even helped him get that shop set up, but he insisted on paying me back. I laughed it off at the time. That was just my allowance back then. I turned this whole town into my business and other than John, all the people living here are loyal."

"You knew my parents?" Erik tilted his head.

"Of course. It's how we knew you and Kinana would be together someday. Well...until the accident that is. After that, we lost track of you for just over a decade until Lucas found your name in that detective agency. Had we known where you were, Kinana never would have run because she'd be married to you when she turned sixteen."

Erik glanced at Kinana. "I didn't know you or her."

"We know. We'd arranged when you turned sixteen to bring her to meet you. I'd already been ill and long distances were hard on me. Your parents died coming to get her for a visit to see how well your aptitudes matched."

Erik nodded. To see if she was in fact his mate.

Her father knew what he was.

"I'm just glad I can leave her in your hands and this town in Lucas' care. You will take good care of her, right?"

Erik took her hand and smiled at her. "Yes. Our aptitudes match quite well."

Her father nodded with a sigh. "Well, I'll do my best to stick around for the wedding, but it does get harder by the month."

Kinana squeezed his hand. "We can do it here. Soon."

"Next week." Erik suggested.

Lucas looked startled. "But...calling for the family from outside..."

"It's alright Luc, it can be a small thing here for me, then another at her home for her friends and the family she's made over there."

Lucas sighed. "I'll get to it tomorrow then. See how many can come next week for a 'family gathering' of sorts. Those who can't can be invited to the bigger wedding with more planning."

Erik kissed the back of her hand as their meal was brought out to their small table.

xXx

Kinana sighed as she moved to sit on her bed.

She watched Erik start removing the expensive clothes her father had gotten him as a gift.

He moved to stand in front of her.

"Tired?" He asked.

She nodded. "It's been so long since I've seen them. Thank you Erik."

"And...you don't mind marrying me?"

"I suggested it, didn't I?" She went to pull out her earrings and take off the necklace.

He took them and put them on her desk with his own jewelry. The studs had been hers, but they looked nice on him. A bit of both subtle class and rakishness. The fact that his ears were pierced at all was unusual among the upperclass men. Her brother had actually commented on it and Erik shrugged it off.

"Still, you don't have to. I do want it, but I want you to be comfortable with the thought of being mine forever too." He sat on the bed in his shorts and she faced him.

"I am Erik. Almost a week of driving with you has shown me quite a bit about who you are. Besides, if I didn't feel comfortable, you wouldn't be in my room."

He sighed but smiled as he laid back. "I suppose I'm just nervous myself."

"Over what?" She asked.

"Well, I've never been married, never been in a long term relationship, and I haven't exactly been highly exposed to lasting marriages."

"Right, being a Private Investigator, you're more likely to see cheaters and such."

"Mostly. I just don't want to screw this up. Not with you, my mate."

She laid beside him. "And that's why you'll do fine. We'll be in this together and you want to try to make it work."

"I guess." He moved to hold her. "We should probably get you out of this before it gets ruined."

xXx

Erik finally started relaxing after four days of being in this town.

It seemed like almost all the old shop keepers and people who had been around for the longest time were excited about Kinana being home.

Everyone they came across in their daily adventures outside of her fathers home seemed to adore her.

He couldn't blame them.

Some even seemed concerned for her about John.

Then she introduced him and Erik got several speeches of 'treat her badly and you'll pay' from the older residents.

Like that helped her before with John. He thought it, but he never said it.

The fifth day, after taking her to try on the luxurious dress being made for the wedding in which most of the town was invited and so it was set in the central plaza. Big enough for the thousand and a half or so residents. Despite her brother wanting to set things up, the town had decided to do it.

Erik worried over that as he got coffee for himself and an iced sweet drink for Kinana. He couldn't pronounce it and didn't care to try. Luckily the man making it knew what he was talking about.

This town hadn't helped with her ex.

As he was walking back to the dress shop, he heard crashing and banging.

He hurried faster in time to see her ex shove her into a table.

Erik dropped the drinks unsteadily on top of the flat mailbox out front and shoved open the door.

He could see red on her pretty white dress as the man was raising his hand to hit her again.

He saw red as he stormed forward as John's hand went down.

But he never got to hit her.

Erik grabbed his arm and wrenched it behind his back, either dislocating or breaking his arm by the sick cracking sound and the scream of pain drowning out Kinana's crying for a moment.

He turned her ex and shoved his head onto the table.

"Call the locals." Erik snapped out.

The woman who'd been fitting her was too stunned to even think apparently. Some help they'd have been.

Instead, he turned to Kinana. "Love, call the local police." He spoke softer. She looked up at him and he saw the small, yet profusely bleeding gash on her temple. Likely from hitting the table. She was lucky she wasn't unconscious.

He was lucky she wasn't dead.

She reached for the phone on the table and dialed.

She spoke in hiccups from her crying.

Erik snapped his fingers at the other woman and she jumped. "Sash or something like rope, anything?"

She nodded and finally moved.

He turned back to Kinana. "And medical attention. You're bleeding."

"And you broke my fucking arm." John snapped through pain.

Erik pressed on it again just for spite and to hear the scream.

Kinana flinched, but the dispatcher must have caught him.

With his hearing, they said that an ambulance was headed out immediately.

The other woman came back with a fairly good length of rope and he used it to tie John's hands behind his back and sat him on the floor to tie him to the table bolted to the floor.

Once he was sure the man couldn't get up, he moved to look at Kinana's wound.

"Are you hurt anywhere else baby?" He asked softly.

She nodded, then reached to hold her head.

He reached for a scrap of cloth thrown in the basket beside the table and pressed it to her temple.

"Hold it." He said. "Where else? Any other bleeding wounds?"

"No. Just bruises going to be on my right." She said.

He moved to sit against the wall under the window and pulled her close as she held the cloth on her right temple.

"I'm sorry I didn't protect you."

She sighed as she leaned into him.

He was careful to not press her injured side in holding her.

His hand moved up to put pressure on the cloth.

"I should have been here, but it's bad luck to see the bride's dress before the wedding." He made a small grin in the hopes she might smile.

He sighed as she did.

"Guess I can't wear this one then."

"Red wouldn't be good for a wedding anyway." He teased. "We'll find you a better one."

"A nicer one?"

"Best you can find." He murmured as the sirens sounded.

He moved to help her up and she stumbled.

He held her close as the police came into the shop.

"Everything done?" The young cop asked.

Erik nodded. "I came in and he was beating on her. I'd just gone to get drinks."

The cop moved to John.

"Stupid bastard is trying to steal my wife." Her ex snapped.

"Ex-wife jackass." Erik snapped back.

The young man and his partner untied him and got him standing.

"I may have also broken his arm. At the least dislocated it." Erik shrugged at the half scream of pain John let out.

"Ah, that was the ambulance call too then."

"Hell no, the ambulance is for her. I couldn't care if he gets treatment. He got the treatment he deserved for hitting her." Erik frowned.

One of the cops moved away to speak on his radio.

The ambulance pulled up and Erik helped Kinana out to it.

"Any other open wounds?" The older man who came to them asked as he opened the back doors.

"Just the cut." Erik shook his head. "And possible bone bruising along her right side. He threw her into the table."

"And from the looks of that shit, looks like you broke his shoulder. Good job."

The older man helped her into the back.

Once they were settled, he closed the doors again.

Erik had just caught a glance of the police putting her ex in their car.

xXx

Kinana sighed as the older woman finally let her put on the clothes that Lucas had brought an hour ago instead of the gown they made her wear to get an x-ray of her side and make sure there was no fractured ribs.

Her cut hadn't needed stitches, but they put a large bandage over it after sealing it with some sticky ointment stuff. Said it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

She was just wincing when trying to hold the shirt and raise her arm when Erik snuck into the room.

The woman frowned as Erik moved to help Kinana pull her shirt on.

He made her sit on the bed as he pulled her socks on for her and the ankle boots.

"She'll be alright after some rest. The bruises will look pretty ugly for a bit, but there isn't anything broken." Erik nodded. "I'll go see about getting her prescription filled real quick and bring it back with her discharge papers."

When the woman left, she left the door open.

Lucas stepped inside and moved for the chair beside the bed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked her.

"I will be. Erik saved me."

"The problem is that he had to. I'll see to it that John goes to prison far away from here."

"But...I'll be gone soon enough." Kinana started to frown until it hurt.

"Yes, but if he's gone, I don't have the risk of wanting to kill him myself. All this time I'd left him alone because that place protected you. And here, I thought he wouldn't try with Erik around."

"Why didn't you help before I left?"

"I couldn't. He was technically your husband and other than filing suits and complaints, I couldn't legally do a damn thing. But now...if he comes after you there, with Erik married to you, Erik could kill him in self defense. I'm sure that lawyer Freed can work it out for you."

Erik nodded when she glanced at him. "You'd do that?"

"Would have done it today if I hadn't had witnesses. Scum like that don't deserve to live. I'm pretty sure his own mother might try and drown him now." Erik said.

xXx

Kinana felt nervous as she stood in the room, waiting to go out and down the aisle and stand beside Erik.

She gripped the back of a chair as the door opened.

"Kinana?"

She turned at the sound of Erik's voice.

"I...you shouldn't see me yet."

"Baby, everyone is waiting. Are you scared?" He moved closer and she sighed.

He looked better in that black silk than she suspected she did in her white dress. There was no hint of white on him unlike the usual weddings she'd seen.

He pulled her away from the chair.

"I'm not scared, I just...I'm more nervous. The last time I did this..."

"Shh..." He leaned to kiss her. "I'm not your ex. What you see is what you get. You've seen who I am and you know you love it therefore this is right and we'll make it work."

She cracked a smile. "Egoist."

"Come on baby. It's a bit unusual, but I'll walk with you out there. Okay?"

She nodded.

He deftly flipped her veil to cover her face.

"I know you're good Erik, I just..."

"Don't want to be burned twice. I know."

He pulled the door back open and made to lead her out of the building and to the plaza.

She walked beside him, and this time, nothing was going to stop her from marrying the man who really cared for her.

xXx

Erik was glad to finally tuck her away in the new car he'd gotten.

His old one had finally kicked the bucket and so Lucas had taken him to the next town two hours away to get a new sporty, luxurious thing.

He could afford it and he liked it.

Luckily, Kinana had liked it too.

Her brother leaned in the window to hug her goodbye one last time as Erik was getting in his side.

"Now you remember to email me all the time alright." Lucas said. She nodded. He looked at Erik. "You take good care of my sister, hear me?"

"Of course I will. We'll send you some pictures when we get a new place out there." Erik said.

Lucas nodded and Erik shifted into drive.

The entire town waved them off as Lucas stepped back.

Kinana put her hand on his as he drove away from her town.

Almost all her clothes and things she wanted were packed up and stuffed in the trunk and backseat. The rest would be shipped out once they had a house of their own.

He glanced over at her. She looked so lovely in that white dress. He couldn't possibly describe how good she looked to him.

He held her hand up to kiss the back of it, feeling the soft skin under his lips.

His entire route was plotted into the built in GPS, and it included proper hotels with nice suites and their own private garages and lovely places to eat along the way at every stop.

"We get a weeklong honeymoon all to ourselves." He said.

She smiled. "No, we get the rest of our lives to cherish each other."

He nodded. "And I will you know. Dragons can be pretty possessive that way."

Erik sighed as she held his hand in one of hers and pulled a book from the bag at her feet while kicking off her heels onto the floorboard.

"I'm looking forward to it." She said with a laugh.

It was several miles down the road before she spoke up again.

"You know, Gajeel has a gift for metals and Natsu with fire and Laxus with electricity, but I never actually asked what your gift was."

"I can hear things no one else can. Like the hint of lies and deceit and the honest desire you felt about the chance to see your father one last time."

"You could hear that? Like reading minds?" She frowned.

"Not minds, just the way the body changes emotionally. You'll never be able to keep secrets from me Kinana."

"Of course not. You'd hear me lying to you."

"Not that I think you would anyway."

"It's good to know your hearing is sharper than most. If anything ever happens, all I have to do is call for you and you'll be there."

"It's how I saved you in the shop. I heard you. You cried my name."

"I'm really glad you could hear me then." She sighed.

"Me too baby. I'll listen to you forever."

Erik smiled as she turned to her reading and he put the music on low.

xXx

This short and fluffy story is for a good friend of mine. She wanted some love for these two and so did I. She's been doing quite a bit of work lately and some of it for me, so I decided she deserved to have her bit of fluffiness. I'm hoping you all enjoyed it despite how short it was.


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